Once Asia’s party capital, will Bangkok’s nightlife scene recover even if Thailand’s tourism industry picks up?

● Thailand’s nightlife economy was worth about US$5 billion, but Covid-19 has shuttered many bars and clubs after 20 months of lost business and no government help

● Curbs are only likely to be lifted in December, and many operators fear Asia’s party city may already have lost its reputation for variety and reinvention

Vijitra Duangdee

When DJ and producer Marmosets released his pounding techno track Krungthep Ratree (Bangkok nightlife) in June 2020, he had no idea how relevant his lament to the fading glory of Asia’s party city would be, and of the decimation ahead for bars and clubs as the coronavirus pandemic cut through Thailand.

Nightlife has only been allowed to operate legally for a few weeks since then, as authorities tried to beat back a months-long Covid-19 outbreak by banning alcohol sales inside licensed premises, effectively closing clubs and bars.

From the racy go-gos of Soi Cowboy to the mixology bars of upmarket Thong Lor, the rooftop hotel happy hours to the street-side pop ups that serve booze until dawn, Bangkok’s cacophonous nightlife has been muted.

Source - ASIAN NOW

 VISA AGENT  /  THAI PASS

Distancing will ruin us, say Thai bar owners

Operators of nightlife entertainment venues have cried foul over a set of proposed regulations to be enforced when they reopen, saying many social-distancing rules will threaten their livelihoods.

A total of 22 articles are listed in the draft, which was unveiled on Monday. The draft will be submitted to the Centre for Covid­19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Friday.

The CCSA is set to consider the fifth phase of the loosening of Covid­19 restrictions, which includes nightlife venues.

The novel coronavirus outbreak has brought the curtain down on pubs, karaoke outlets, massage parlours and other types of adult entertainment venues since March.

Operators have been hoping to reopen next month.

Musicians and entertainers last week made an emotional appeal to the government to allow them to return to work. They said the closure has been long and the situation has placed them in dire financial straits.

On Sunday, CCSA promised to allow nightlife venues to resume during the fifth phase in July. However, operators have expressed concern over rules that prohibit dancing, mingling and having more than a certain number of customers.

The operators say limiting customers to five per group may keep them from coming.

Sanga Ruangwattanakul, president of the Khao San Business Association and CEO of Buddy Group, said the rules for entertainment venues are stricter than the ones imposed on eateries and filming crews.

Due to the economic impact of Covid­19, people tend to cut unnecessary expenses, and spending on nightlife entertainment is at the top of their list, Mr Sanga said.

“We want them to be more flexible, otherwise people will not go out,” he said.

He admitted the operators will have no choice but comply with the rules, but they will urge CCSA to revisit the situation and consider relaxing the rules one week after the implementation.

Thailand has seen no local transmissions for 28 days and if no local cases are reported by then the CCSA should consider easing the regulations for the nightspots, he said.

According to Mr Sanga, it will take time before the industry, where up to two million people are employed, rebounds from the economic fallout of the outbreak.

Of the estimated 100,000 nightspots in the country, only 20,000 are properly registered, while the rest operate without licences.

Supawan Thanomkiatphum, chairwoman of the Thai Hotels Association (THA), said business operators must be patient.

“If the measures can reduce the risk of a second wave, we may begin to allow overseas visitors,” Ms Supawan said.

“Even though hotels are allowed to reopen, most of us depend on foreign tourists.”

Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea­ngam said the government is likely to consider by Friday the lifting of the emergency decree, two weeks after the implementation of the fourth phase of lockdown relaxations.

Mr Wissanu said the decision to lift or extend the emergency decree will be made based on the assessment of Covid­19 risks. If the country does not face a second wave of infections, then the Communicable Disease Control Act is adequate to contain the virus, he said.

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The emergency decree was touted by the government as a necessary tool to curb the spread of Covid­19 infections as it enables swift action and coordination among state agencies. It has been extended twice since it was invoked on March 26.

Mr Wissanu said if the emergency decree is lifted, all closure orders will automatically end, but noted that Sections 34 and 35 of the Communicable Disease Control Act can still be invoked to close down certain businesses.

“If the emergency is lifted, we can [use the Communicable Disease Control Act to] close certain shops or malls until they fix problems. We can’t impose lockdowns,” he said.

Democracy activists led by Parit Chiwarak on Monday renewed calls for the lifting of the emergency decree, saying the situation has improved significantly and this justified the lifting the decree.

Source - Pattaya One News

#Thailand - All business to resume on July 1

All businesses and activities suspended to control the spread of coronavirus disease will be allowed to resume on July 1 - including entertainment venues and "soapy massage" parlours.

Dr Taweesilp Visanuyothin, spokesman of the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration, announced  the decision on Wednesday.

He said regulations had been drafted for the fifth round of resumption of business and activities "when complete relaxation will occur".

Businesses and activities to resume this time posed a high risk of disease transmission. Their closure had an insignificant impact on the overall economy, but some groups of people were in financial trouble because of it -  including musicians and singers, he said.

Dr Taweesilp said schools will fully open. Restrictions on opening hours at malls will be lifted.

Pubs, bars and karaoke shops will reopen, but must close at midnight. Groups of visitors will be capped at five people, and will be prohibited from joining other groups. Sales promotion activities will be banned.

Video game parlours will reopen, but will not be allowed to sell food or beverages.

Premises offering a bath-sauna-massage service [aka soapy] will reopen on the condition that customers and staff wear face masks and observe social distancing - except during "bathing time", Dr Taweesilp said.

"Customers will use the Thaichana app when they check-in, or manually register their visit in a book," he said.

Staff would be regularly tested for Covid-19 and other related diseases.

At all these premises, the government will continue to require body temperature screening, the use of face masks, social distancing, regular cleaning, one-month of surveillance camera footage to facilitate disease investigation, and use of the Thaichana app for check-in and check-out.

At wet massage parlours, surveillance cameras would cover only public zones, Dr Taweesilp said.

Source - The Bangkok Post

“It’s 3 months now, when can we reopen?” - Pattaya bar owners

Today marks 3 straight months that Pattaya’s world famous – and vitally important to the city’s economy – nightlife and entertainment industry has been shuttered by the Thai Government. The industry was originally told to close “for 2 weeks” on March 18. But as the Covid-19 crisis escalated and fear and uncertainty grew worldwide, the closure was repeatedly extended, with ever changing dates and conflicting, overlapping messages on when exactly the government would allow business to resume.

Chon Buri province had a total of 87 cases of Covid-19, virtually all imported from other provinces or overseas visitors. Of those, 41 were in Banglamung/Pattaya, the majority from the famous Bangkok “boxing stadium cluster.” There were 2 deaths, both foreign cases that were imported. Pattaya, despite its notorious nightlife industry, never had a significant local outbreak. This is in stark contrast to the resort island of Phuket, which had the highest number of cases per capita in Thailand, mainly around its notorious Bangla Road red light entertainment area and latterly around the Bang Tao district.

But the Thai Government has continued to state it’s is too risky to open nightlife, bars and entertainment venues, despite the country as a whole going well over 3 weeks without a locally transmitted case. They’ve been spooked both by the cases of infected Thais returning from overseas and the recent spate of outbreaks in entertainment zones in Seoul and Tokyo.

The Center for Covid-19 Situation Administration, has allowed nearly every type of business to resume – except the nightlife and entertainment industry. Despite early signs that they would allow owners to reopen and get tens of thousands of people back to work in Phase 4 of the program to reopen and unlock the country, nightlife was left out, and there has been no target date or guarantee of a Phase 5 from the CCSA.

Pattaya’s mayor and the governor of Chon Buri, keenly aware of Pattaya’s precarious situation, with an estimated 80% of the city’s businesses dedicated to nightlife and hospitality, have pleaded for patience from local business owners and say they’re working with the CCSA to reopen the bars. This week, The CCSA allowed the half measure of allowing alcohol in restaurants, but this only led to confusion as the large number of “hybrid” establishments that sell both food and alcohol were given mixed messages and police were instructed at a national level to raid and even close many already struggling local businesses.

The CCSA and the PM himself have also asked for patience from business owners, but for many, with 3 months without income and landlords and other creditors demanding payment, patience is running out.

The CCSA has stated a current goal of 28 days without a confirmed locally transmitted case of the virus. That would be next Monday, June 22.

They have dodged repeated questions from the press on whether that means nightlife could resume. Meanwhile, many bar owners in Pattaya continue to ask why their small establishments, many unable to fit more than a handful of people in, remain closed, lumped into the same group as massive nightclubs that can fit over a thousand people.

Source: The Pattaya News

Pattaya’s bars desperate to reopen

The Covid-19 pandemic has hit Pattaya’s bar owners terribly. Some among the 10 in Soi Wong Amat, aka Soi Na Klua 18, have packed up and gone. The remainder are desperate for the government to ease restrictions on them opening. There is still rent to pay, accommodation and food for staff and utilities. They don’t want to abandon their employees. 2 owners spoke to the media.

59 year old “Saengdeuan”, who has run the well known TJ Bar for 16 years, was in tears as she told Nation TV how she won’t abandon her 20 staff.

“What else am I going to do?” I’ll just have to wait for the tourists to return, whenever that is.”

The ‘whenever’ could be months away. And even if the government allows the bars to re-open at the start of July (the hot tip), the sight of foreign tourists may not be familiar until the end of the year.

44 year old “Buapha”, who owns the Blue Marlin pub begged the government to let her open. She says there may be no foreign tourists but she could serve Thais in the meantime.

“At least that would be something.”

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Pattaya’s economy is almost entirely dependent on tourism. While the city’s beaches were allowed to reopen last Monday, pubs and bars remain shuttered and restaurants are prohibited from selling alcohol, leaving tens of thousands still out of work. Many of the workers have returned ‘up country’ to live with their families.

Source - The Thaiger

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